Christmas Names: Matthew 1
Painting by Juan González, 17th century. 'Oil on wood inlaid with mother of pearl, 13 x 16 1/2 in.' Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly
Some people have a Christmas card list a mile long. Name after name of people they know, love, and care about.
In Matthew 1, the Christmas story starts with a list of names. That chapter, in fact, is all about names: First, there’s the long genealogy, then the name Jesus, then the name Immanuel.
The long genealogy is difficult reading for those who do not know all the Bible history. Suffice to say, God knows the history. God knows everyone on that list of names. God knows what they did well and poorly, how they excelled and how they sinned, what they feared and struggled with. Some on that list were ruthless. Some on that list were darlings. The point is, Jesus our Savior came from that list, from that people, from us. He was one of us! So he knows, not just informationally, but also experientially, just what it is to be one of us.
The first name given to Mary’s baby is Jesus, meaning: “for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 ESV). Jesus means “salvation.” And God explains what kind of salvation: not to save us merely from our depression or cancer or poverty, though those are intense problems. But to save us from our sins, which are the cause for a just sentence to eternal condemnation. Jesus will save us from that sentence. Through belief in Jesus is the way God gives us forgiveness and mercy.
The second name given to Mary’s baby, more of a prophetic title, is Immanuel, “which means, God with us” (1:23). That’s literally what Immanuel means: Im means “with”; anu means “us”; El means “God.” For Jesus to be saving his people from sins, he would be coming from the people, one of the people, with the people. But not merely one of the people; this last title informs us that Jesus was going to be God.
Taken together: God, living among us, descended from us miraculously, saves us from our sins. One of us would save us. Jesus had to be one of us in order to represent us and receive the sentence of our condemnation on our behalf. But not just any one of us could represent us. We needed God, sinless, or he couldn’t stand in for sinners. We needed God, infinite, so as to absorb infinite sentence for infinite sin. We needed God, powerful, so as to go to the grave declared guilty but rise from the grave factually guiltless. Jesus is God and Savior.
Let’s celebrate a Savior well-named: Jesus, savior of sinners, Immanuel, God with us! What a miracle the Christmas holiday celebrates!